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Adam shows the film he and his wife, Rebecca made to explain how their journey to meet their daughter Rosie. They show the video not only to Rosie, but their family and friends too. This helps them all understand and connect with Rosie’s story. It includes footage of their clinic, the positive pregnancy test and follows Rebecca’s pregnancy and Rosie’s birth.

Dear Rose: Adam

We wanted to share with you, I guess, some information around why we created the storybooks. So as an introduction, we after five years of trying, we decided to have to go down the donor egg route. And we decided to do anonymous donor eggs in Spain. It was a tough decision but at the same time we were up for it. At the end of this process we now have a beautiful one year old child she’s great, Rosie.

Although anonymous donor eggs worked for us at the time, I think after everything we know now we probably would have done it differently; but saying that we love Rosie to bits. But her not having access to half of her genetic history is something you really need to think about.

So through that process we chose to go through counselling and as part of that counselling process the counsellor who was great suggested that as Rosie wouldn’t have the connection to half of her genetic history we decided to connect her to the story. Which we thought was great advice and we created this story book to really do that.

So when were we are at now is that we do show this to Rosie and we plan on keeping on showing this to Rosie but a good benefit of this process also was that our friends and family who have seen this story really have connected to our story and the reason for us doing this as well. So here we go.

This is your dad. He’s off the plane just arriving in Alicante. Yeah. Text: You were made in love; and sun and beach.

So here we are in Alicante and were done on the beach; Fireworks tonight. Hello, here’s your Dad. Yeah, fireworks. Everyone’s around. It’s massive; pretty big atmosphere. Pretty warm too, which is nice. It’s a bit hot. There’s the beach. We’re hoping for some fireworks soon well check in with you soon.

Text: And music and dancing. And we needed some help from some doctors, Lara (This is Lara) and our beautiful Spanish egg donor.

Hi. This is a message for our son or daughter. It is the eighth of August 2012 and we’re in Alicante, Spain and were just about to go to the Institute to collect you. You’re a little embryo right now, you’ve got a little embryo and there could be four embryos! We’re hoping there’s going to be one child. And we can’t wait to meet you. I love you. I love you already.

Text: Your Dad can’t wait to meet you. He’s pretty funny. Neither can your Mum. She’s a bit of a goose too. We were living in London. We got the exciting news. And you grew week by week in your mummy’s tummy- Week 16, Week 20, Week 32, Week 38. And now you’re here! Rose Bailey Hopkins 03/05/2013. And we love you to bits. Lots of love Mum and Dad xxx.

Brin describes herself as a “chronic scrap booker”. She has gathered information photos and mementos to document her twin boys’ beginnings. She also includes her son’s comments in the story e.g. “They were baby eggs not eating eggs!” She describes how her scrapbooks have been an easy way to tell the story and “We refer to it whenever they get confused.”

Not only did Sandra make a digital journal for her daughter, Eloise, but she also made a book for her 5 year old donor’s daughter, Hayden, to explain her mother’s help. Hayden then told the story in her own words and drew pictures to match. They describe “how their family became Sandra’s special donor friends and how Eloise became my special donor buddy”

MEDIA RELEASE

3 September 2015

Lifestyle and environmental factors for fathers in the months leading up to conception can directly impact on the health of a child at birth and into adulthood, according to Professor Sarah Robertson of The Robinson Research Institute, in a lecture tonight at the Alfred Hospital for the Louis Waller Lecture 2015.

Members of the Fertility Society of Australia and associated organisations in Australia and overseas medical professionals, including general practitioners and specialists scientists, researchers, nurses and members of the community who experience, or know somebody who is experiencing infertility.

Useful links

Fertility Week begins today (1-7 September). Designed to coincide with the first week of spring (think fertility, babies and so on), this year’s campaign focuses on the impact that being overweight or obese can have on a person’s ability to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy and baby.

ABC's Four Corner's program on 30 May started a conversation that we have to have. Having your first baby after the age of 35 is not what nature intended. IVF technology is no silver bullet against female age related infertility.

This brochure aims to help guide people through the process of finding a surrogate within Australia. It includes material on: what makes an ideal surrogate, asking someone you know, finding a surrogate you don’t know, and possible questions to ask a potential surrogate. It can be used as a guide to ensure that all parties are informed and prepared and that there’s a positive outcome for all.

Finding an egg donor can seem impossible. Many wonder, where do I begin? Who could I possibly ask? In fact, many women in Victoria are willing and happy to help others to become parents via donation. In the past year, over 220 women donated eggs in Victoria. Finding a local donor rather than travelling overseas for treatment can have enormous advantages. A local donor has the benefit of legal protections that ensure that she can be known to your potential child, and to you, and is perhaps more likely to have a similar value set, appearance and language to your own.

About

VARTA provides independent information and support for individuals, couples, and health professionals on fertility, infertility, assisted reproductive treatment (ART) and the best interests of children born.